10 games in...

[Kenneth E End]

..and there seems to be a bit of a Premier League style split at the top of League One. Sure sign that the teams with the highest budgets are naturally the best teams - as PL money trickles down through the Championship and beyond.

We've played 5 of the top 6 already, and they seem to be far and away better quality wise than the rest of the division, who seem between them be very even and jostling for position. With the possible exception of Doncaster, I'd be surprised if that top 6 will change some May (ordering may change, but teams not). Right now, I just can't see many of the other sides making there way up there.

 

[nelsonpfc]

Very early days. Once injuries and suspensions kick in we'll see who's got the better squads. Peterborough have started well, but they will get found out..To win the league you can't rely on out scoring the opposition every week. Donny will have their fingers crossed Marquis is fit. It'll be interesting to see how Sunderland and Barnsley do as neither have really settled into the divison yet. Barnsley look the strongest, but have dropped a few points already. Being biased it's our best squad in a long time, which let us down last Xmas. January will be huge for Sunderland as they've had to rebuild the whole squad in a short space of time.

 

[womble76]

I think there are about 5 reasonable sides in the division this year. Not much difference between the rest imo. Very even league.

 

[ThisTinpotLeague]

To win the league you can't rely on out scoring the opposition every week.

Odd because I reckon that'd be the best possible strategy.

We look utter shit. I think we actually have five very decent L1 midfielders, sandwiched between a poor defence and a non-existent attack. I should have given up on this season after 5 points from 10 games, but a little bit of me hopes that Eastwood coming back will get us the points we need.

 

[GFC4EVA]

Started so well with consecutive wins but only 2 points from 8 games is piss poor.

We are in horrendous form going back to last season is now 3 wins in 21 league games

We are league 2 bound

 

[nelsonpfc]

Odd because I reckon that'd be the best possible strategy.

We look utter shit. I think we actually have five very decent L1 midfielders, sandwiched between a poor defence and a non-existent attack. I should have given up on this season after 5 points from 10 games, but a little bit of me hopes that Eastwood coming back will get us the points we need.

Its fine until you have the period where your strikers are off form or you come up against a really good goalie or defence. Can't keep conceding 2 goals a game having to score 3s or. 4s.

 

[ThisTinpotLeague]

Its fine until you have the period where your strikers are off form or you come up against a really good goalie or defence. Can't keep conceding 2 goals a game having to score 3s or. 4s.

How do you win if you don't try and outscore the opposition?

 

[Bobbin']

How do you win if you don't try and outscore the opposition?

Try and concede fewer than the opposition?

 

[nelsonpfc]

Try and concede fewer than the opposition?

Its no coincidence the teams that win divisions generally keep the most clean sheets. I know it sounds abit backwards, but if you look at Peterborough, apart from i think once, they've had to score at least 2, to win the game, and even then they haven't been guaranteed a win. When we won league two I think can't remember too many games were we to score 3 goals to make sure we won.

 

[Bobbin']

Its no coincidence the teams that win divisions generally keep the most clean sheets

I’m just being facetious mate, I get the point you’re making.

 

[nelsonpfc]

I’m just being facetious mate, I get the point you’re making.

I was agreeing with you

 

[ThisTinpotLeague]

Try and concede fewer than the opposition?

I think you still outscore them if you do that. I don't know though, cuz we haven't done either all season when I've been watching

 

[Meadow]

We're shit and we know we are. Thankfully a few other teams are worse than we are. Roll on Tuesday and a complete annihilation of Bradford - yeah right! It could go either way.

 

[WilsdenBantam]

10 games in....

We are completely garbage. The glimmer is there is other crap in this division, Shrewsbury and Bristol Rovers been the worst we've played. Best we've played are Barnsley by a long way, Burton looked decent but we managed to steal 3 points thankfully. Others who looked ok but were helped by the fact we were absolutely dire were Southend, Blackpool, Wycombe, Charlton, and Fleetwood(in that order of competence). But yes I realise I have only seen them once and performances fluctuate. I didn't see Doncaster, and I don't think we've played anyone else.

 

[WilsdenBantam]

We're shit and we know we are. Thankfully a few other teams are worse than we are. Roll on Tuesday and a complete annihilation of Bradford - yeah right! It could go either way.

Don't rule it out, but yes it could go either way. 6 pointer comes to mind.

 

[Shrimpurh]

We started off with some good performances but not necessarily getting the results we deserved I think that knocked the teams confidence mixed with a small spate of injuries a few really bad performances followed and I was fearing the worst but a recent formation change and people returning has been followed with 2 wins on the bounce with some good football being played.

Haven't really seen anything to suggest we won't finish in between 8th and 15th. With a few winnable games coming up for us though we could fire up the table but then will easily drop back down once more difficult games turn up.

 

[James PAFC]

We’ve been dire and somehow with a paltry 3 points from 10 games we’ve had an even worst start to last season. Can’t keep a clean sheet for toffees and apart from our on loan goalie in Matt Macey nobody has covered themselves in glory so far. Even Carey has been well below par.Ok we have a crippling injury crisis with 10 players currently out but we can’t keep using it as an excuse. However I believe we will be ok in time and move up the table eventually.

 

[Wibbin]

I think we should be slightly higher,but not by much. We haven't put teams away, Saturday being a prime example. Askey is losing sections of the fanbase as games go by, there is a groundswell for him to be jetisoned (not me I hasten to add). We've looked comfortable without threatening, 1 win in 10 doesnt look good but it doesn't tell the whole picture.

 

[mowgli]

We as Wycombe fans can see that playing 4-3-3 and hoofing it up to The Beast doesn't work in this division but Ainsworth sticks with it Problem is he's stuck in his ways and his post match interviews show he will not consider changing the starting XI or the tacics so it will be a long season.

 

[DearneValleyRover]

We are doing far better than we could have hoped for. McCann is getting far more out of the players than Fergie could. We have already had injuries and suspensions and not been hindered but if Marquis gets injured things may be different. If we get to January and are still in the top six it will be interesting to see if McCann spends the budget he hasn’t touched yet.

 

[Posh Hammer]

We're doing alright despite not really playing well for an entire game yet. We have excellent spells within games where we have torn teams to pieces, but as the above poster mentioned, we concede quite a few too.

We didn't expect to be in the top 2, and few even predicted us to finish top 6. So we're just going to enjoy it while it lasts. It always goes wrong in the winter anyway.

 

[THE LAST WALTZ]

I don't like football

 

[Kim Mitten]

We started off with some good performances but not necessarily getting the results we deserved I think that knocked the teams confidence mixed with a small spate of injuries a few really bad performances followed and I was fearing the worst but a recent formation change and people returning has been followed with 2 wins on the bounce with some good football being played.

Haven't really seen anything to suggest we won't finish in between 8th and 15th. With a few winnable games coming up for us though we could fire up the table but then will easily drop back down once more difficult games turn up.

Our main issue is the defending when we play 4-4-2 and our lack of a clinical edge early in games.
We've now played the 3-5-2/3-4-1-2 in one game and for 75-80 minutes of another and conceded zero goals whilst in that formation. The most surprising thing is when Powell arrived last season was how solid he made us, I can't believe how it's all gone out the window so quickly.

We also seem to start games like a steam train but cannot score, the home games against Doncaster and Peterborough we should have been 2 or 3 goals up before they scored but once a team scores against us that seems to be that, we get in a right old panic and have to fight our way back. Sort out our lack of concentration from set pieces and individual errors and there is no reason we can't be nearer the top end. Only Luton and Shrewsbury away have we looked poor.

I worry if Hopper gets injured, he's looked a superb signing and is scoring goals. Robinson needs 10-20 chances every game to actually get one in and Cox just isn't an out and out striker anymore, he's looked excellent playing in a role behind a front two though.

The football is good to watch though and barring any unseen catastrophe we shouldn't be in a relegation battle and if we can start actually scoring in the first 20 minutes there could yet be a playoff push in us.

 

[Kim Mitten]

We as Wycombe fans can see that playing 4-3-3 and hoofing it up to The Beast doesn't work in this division but Ainsworth sticks with it Problem is he's stuck in his ways and his post match interviews show he will not consider changing the starting XI or the tacics so it will be a long season.

From watching you on Saturday I would say Ainsworth is right. When you got the ball down on the floor and we pressed you, you looked very poor, awful short passing and hurried hoofing. When we gave you a bit of time to start some aimed hoofing you looked a totally different team and a real threat. You'd hope most teams would do their homework and press, press, press Wycombe but if they don't and you get time to go direct you will win games.
I guess Ainsworth's job is to find a way to get the team some space if they are pressed.

 

[Caer]

10 games in and we've lost once so that's an alien prospect from the last 10+ years. We're not winning as much as we perhaps need to but that'll come with time as our new squad beds in... hopefully.

We've got Peterborough and Doncaster coming up in our first "6 pointers" which will be a good indicator on how we compare to the clubs fighting for automatic promotion.

Highlights so far are our youth players are starting to make a difference in the first team and that the current crop of players in general seem to genuinely want to be here.

 

[K-Win]

Highlights so far are our youth players are starting to make a difference in the first team and that the current crop of players in general seem to genuinely want to be here.

That's definitely a plus side to a big club dropping down a few divisions. Once you shed the mercenaries you're left with a bunch of players who actually give a sh*t.

 

[Shrimpurh]

Our main issue is the defending when we play 4-4-2 and our lack of a clinical edge early in games.
We've now played the 3-5-2/3-4-1-2 in one game and for 75-80 minutes of another and conceded zero goals whilst in that formation. The most surprising thing is when Powell arrived last season was how solid he made us, I can't believe how it's all gone out the window so quickly.

We also seem to start games like a steam train but cannot score, the home games against Doncaster and Peterborough we should have been 2 or 3 goals up before they scored but once a team scores against us that seems to be that, we get in a right old panic and have to fight our way back. Sort out our lack of concentration from set pieces and individual errors and there is no reason we can't be nearer the top end. Only Luton and Shrewsbury away have we looked poor.

I worry if Hopper gets injured, he's looked a superb signing and is scoring goals. Robinson needs 10-20 chances every game to actually get one in and Cox just isn't an out and out striker anymore, he's looked excellent playing in a role behind a front two though.

The football is good to watch though and barring any unseen catastrophe we shouldn't be in a relegation battle and if we can start actually scoring in the first 20 minutes there could yet be a playoff push in us.

I'd say Charlton was also a particularly poor performance. Watched last nights game in iFollow and we looked dreadful first half with the new formation but game turned on it's head second half when we reverted to 442. I hope we keep the faith with the wings backs it's good to know we can switch things up though. Last night was a big win with Oxford @ home next followed by Gills away we could be sitting in the top 6 in a couple of weeks but then you're brought back down to earth with Sunderland away followed by an away trip to Barnsley. We'll probably lose to Oxford and Gills then get something at Sunderland and Barnsley.

Agree about Hopper can see him getting 20+ this season. Robinson is just crap I don't actually don't know how he isn't a non-league footballer.

 

[GTFCfish]

From memory it seems like Peterborough start most seasons on fire handing out some right hammerings before completely falling away and not even making the play offs.
Same again would be good as Steve Evans is a loathsome greasy fat bastard.

 

[PuB]

10 games in and we've just decided to re-lay our pitch, so that's going to be wonderful for everyone heading in to winter.

 

[PuB]